1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the general art of ladders, and to the particular field of escape ladders.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Many buildings and homes are more than one story tall. If a building is more than one story tall, it may be difficult to exit that building in the event of an emergency, such as a fire or the like. This problem is exacerbated as the height of the building increases. In some instances, people trapped on an upper floor of a burning building are unable to escape because rescue equipment cannot reach them and they are not able to reach escape routes.
Some escape routes require a person to pass through a hallway or the like which may be blocked by smoke or fire. Sometimes, people panic and lose their way to such escape routes.
Therefore, there is a need for an escape ladder that is located for easy access.
The ladder art contains many examples of escape ladders that can be located adjacent to windows and outside doors. However, many of these known escape ladders are difficult to deploy. For example, some ladders must be taken out of storage, moved to a window or outside access port, and then deployed. A rope ladder stored in a container near a window is an example of such prior art escape ladders. If a person is fleeing for their life, it would be reasonable to believe that they will not be thinking clearly enough to accomplish any but the most simple tasks. Thus, requiring a person to open a container, move a ladder to an escape port and then deploy that ladder may be expecting too much. Even if the ladder is located closely adjacent to the escape portal, it may be asking too much to require a person who is in fear for their life to manipulate such an escape ladder unit. Furthermore, if there is a fire in the room, a person may be extremely reluctant to re-enter the room, even to obtain an escape ladder.
Therefore, there is a need for an escape ladder that is easily deployed.
Many escape ladders, especially rope ladders, are very unstable once deployed. This makes it difficult for a person, especially an elderly or infirm person who may be in a panic, to stay on such a ladder. For this reason, some people may avoid using a ladder even after it is deployed. This is especially true if the escape is being attempted from a great height. Fear of heights may prevent such a person from using a ladder, and such fear will be exacerbated if the ladder appears to be unsteady.
Therefore, there is a need for an escape ladder that is stable and easy to use once deployed.
Many building designers take aesthetics into account and may even subordinate some functions to the form of the building. An escape ladder that interferes with building aesthetics may be changed or even deleted if possible. A building designer may even seek another form of escape to maintain desired building aesthetics.
Therefore, there is a need for an escape ladder that is unobtrusive when it is in a stored condition.
It is a main object of the present invention to provide an escape ladder that is located for easy access.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an escape ladder that is easily deployed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an escape ladder that is stable once deployed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an escape ladder that is easy to use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an escape ladder that is unobtrusive when in a stored condition.
These, and other, objects are achieved by an escape ladder which comprises a first rigid leg fixedly secured to a support member when in use and having an axial extent; a plurality of rigid rungs movably attached to the first leg to move between a first orientation extending in the direction of the axial extent of the first leg and a second orientation that extends outwardly from the first leg; a second rigid leg fixedly secured to the rungs to move therewith between a first position closely adjacent to the first leg when the rungs are in the first orientation and a second position spaced apart from the first leg when the rungs are in the second orientation. The rungs are interposed between the first leg and the second leg.
The escape ladder embodying the present invention can be fixed to the outside wall of a building just beneath a window or other easily accessed building element and can reach to the ground or to a safety platform. The second leg of the ladder can be locked to the first leg so the closed ladder is unobtrusive and may even be worked into the aesthetic appearance of some buildings, yet can be easily reached and, once reached, easily deployed, and once deployed, easily and safely used. The rungs are rigid and the legs of the ladder are also rigid whereby the deployed ladder is secure so a person will feel secure while using the ladder. Both the rungs and the legs of the ladder can be made of sturdy material, such as metal or the like.